Triumvirat were the great German answer to Emerson, Lake & Palmer — a keyboard-led power trio from Cologne whose virtuosic, classically infused symphonic prog won them genuine success on both sides of the Atlantic. Driven by the formidable keyboards of Jürgen Fritz and crowned by the concept-album triumph of “Spartacus”, they stand among the most accomplished prog bands the German scene ever produced.

The short version

Formed in Cologne in 1969, Triumvirat played keyboard-driven, ELP-style symphonic prog, built around the virtuoso playing of Jürgen Fritz. Their classic trio with bassist-singer Helmut Köllen and drummer Hans Bathelt produced two landmark albums — the breakthrough “Illusions on a Double Dimple” (1974) and the concept masterpiece “Spartacus” (1975) — and real success in America. Ambitious, classical and grandly melodic, they remain one of German prog’s most celebrated names.

Cologne: the German ELP

Triumvirat came together in Cologne in 1969, when the classically trained, teenage keyboardist Jürgen Fritz joined forces with bassist Werner Frangenberg and drummer Hans Bathelt. Starting out as a covers act on the local club circuit — playing the music of The Nice, among others — they soon turned to original material, taking their name from the Latin for a rule of three. Their organ-led, rhythm-section format, with no permanent guitarist, drew openly on The Nice and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and earned them an enduring reputation as “the German ELP”. After early bassists came and went, the arrival of Fritz’s cousin, Helmut Köllen, completed their classic line-up.

Keyboard-led symphonic prog

At the heart of Triumvirat was Jürgen Fritz, a graduate of the Cologne conservatory and a keyboard virtuoso whose Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer and grand piano drove the band’s entire sound. Around him, Helmut Köllen’s melodic vocals, bass and guitar and Hans Bathelt’s powerful, jazz-rooted drumming completed a tight, ambitious trio. Steeped in classical music and the example of The Nice and ELP, their albums favoured complex, multi-part suites and grand concept pieces, often augmented in the studio by full orchestras and brass. It was symphonic prog of real craft and emotion — spectacular without losing its melody.

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From Mediterranean Tales to Spartacus

Their debut, “Mediterranean Tales” (1972), introduced their classical, suite-based style, but it was “Illusions on a Double Dimple” (1974) that made their name — two side-long suites of dazzling keyboard prog that reached the US charts and took the band on tour supporting Fleetwood Mac. The concept album “Spartacus” (1975), telling the story of the gladiator’s revolt against Rome and engineered by Beatles man Geoff Emerick, became their crowning achievement and biggest hit. After Köllen left, a more commercial direction on “Old Loves Die Hard” (1976), the concept album “Pompeii” (1977) and “À la Carte” (1978) marked the band’s gradual move away from their progressive peak.

Album by album

Six albums of keyboard-driven, classically minded symphonic prog. Tap any title for its guide.

The players and afterwards

Triumvirat’s classic line-up was the trio of keyboardist Jürgen Fritz, bassist, guitarist and singer Helmut Köllen, and drummer Hans Bathelt — the band behind “Illusions on a Double Dimple” and “Spartacus”. Köllen, whose warm voice gave those albums so much of their character, left in late 1975 and died in 1977, aged just 27 — a great loss to the music. Bathelt soon departed too, leaving Jürgen Fritz to carry the name onward. But it is those mid-1970s albums, and “Spartacus” above all, that secured Triumvirat’s place among the finest of German prog.

Where to start

Begin with “Spartacus” (1975) — their most famous album and a genuine prog classic, a sweeping concept work that remains the perfect introduction to Triumvirat. From there, “Illusions on a Double Dimple” (1974) is for many their very best, the trio at the height of their powers. Together, those two albums capture everything that made the band great.

Why they still matter

Triumvirat matter as one of the most accomplished progressive bands of the German scene — a keyboard-led trio who took the symphonic, classically infused prog of ELP and The Nice and made it grand, melodic and entirely their own. In Jürgen Fritz they had a keyboardist of real brilliance, and in “Spartacus” they made an album that stands with the best of 1970s prog. For anyone who loves keyboard-driven progressive rock, they are essential listening.

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